Walter W. Head
Walter William Head | |
---|---|
4th President of the Boy Scouts of America | |
In office May 1926 – 1931 | |
Preceded by | Milton A. McRae |
Succeeded by | Mortimer L. Schiff |
6th President of the Boy Scouts of America | |
In office 1931–1946 | |
Preceded by | Mortimer L. Schiff |
Succeeded by | Amory Houghton |
Personal details | |
Born | Adrian, Illinois, U.S. | December 18, 1877
Died | May 3, 1954 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 76)
Cause of death | pneumonia |
Spouse | Della Thompson |
Children | one daughter |
Parent(s) | Alfred Walter Head and Margaret Jane Lambert |
Occupation | Business |
Walter William Head (December 18, 1877 – May 3, 1954) was an American
Early life
Walter William Head was born December 18, 1877, on a farm near Adrian, Illinois. He was the first of five children born to Alfred Walter Head and Margaret Jane Lambert. The New York Times said that Head "was deeply influenced by his mother, a devout woman who imbued him with a warm, human philosophy of life".[1] At age 8, he moved with his family to a rural area of DeKalb County, Missouri, where he attended public schools. After graduating from Northwest Missouri State Teachers College (Maryville), Head began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse and, at age 24, was named school principal in the town of De Kalb, Missouri.[1]
Banking
Head left teaching for the banking field in 1904, starting as a bank cashier at age 26. In 1917, he was named vice president of Omaha National Bank in Omaha, Nebraska, becoming the bank's president in 1920. During his time as bank president in Omaha, Walter Head also became president of the American Bankers Association and a director of New York Life Insurance Company.
In 1929, Head took over as president of
Insurance
Head left banking in 1933, when he became the first president of Great American Life Insurance Company in
Civic
Head was appointed by Nebraska Governor
Head served as fourth and sixth
Death
A year after the death of his wife (the former Della Thompson) in 1951, Head entered a nursing home due to Parkinson's disease and arteriosclerosis. He died of pneumonia at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, on May 3, 1954, and was survived by one daughter.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Walter Head, 76, Insurance Chief". The New York Times. May 4, 1954.
- ^ "Exit Missouri Life". Time magazine. 1933-09-18. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ a b "Personnel". Time magazine. 1931-11-23. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "New Insurance President". The New York Times. January 24, 1951. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "Program and Commission Statement". Nebraska State Government. January 16, 1920. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ The National and World Jamborees in Pictures, New York: Boy Scouts of America (1937)